A Burning Village

CH.1

A burning village marked the end of Calvin’s normal life. Born and raised as a farmer, his only experience with weapons was a spear to scare away the local wildlife. Like most villages, little more than a few buildings and a tavern for the weary traveller, it would easily fall upon a mild monster or mercenary raid. 

A 20 men mercenary group was overkill for a village of 14 souls, but such was the fate for any village that held something  of great value. 

Not that any of that mattered to young Calvin, who in only a few weeks would’ve turned 15 and be sent away to another village to marry. The object didn’t matter, the burning village didn’t matter, not even his dead Mother or village  people who had raised him all his life. It was the blood of his sister that had made him seek revenge against the men and women who slaughtered her in cold blood.

Alone, he would die before he even  found a clue to where they had gone, but so did fate have it that someone had come along, investigating the burning village in search of remains.

“Here to finish me off?” Calvin called out to the figure down the road. The houses were  aligned perfectly straight opposite one another, blocking the nearby hills. “Why bother? What can I do?”

“Not much.” The  figure walked  closer, looking at every single dead body. Their eyes rested upon Calvin, hunched over his dead sister. “You want to do more.  Kill those who killed  her.”

“...you’re not one of them.” Calvin relaxed. He didn’t want to die, but he decided he wasn’t going to go out grovelling.

“I don’t destroy villages for gain. Only if it is needed.”

Calvin huffed out in surprise. “Not the response I was expecting. But what you’re saying is, you can  take on 20 men  at once?”

“Men, woman. Human and lupen, and everything in between.”

“How much?”

“I do not take coin.”

“...I will do as you say. Whenever you want. Whatever you want. Just help me avenge my sister.”

The man simply stared at Calvin, though he had no idea what face the man could’ve had. “I do not take those kind of services either. You  do not need to offer me anything; I am going to kill them either way.”

Calvin flinched for a brief moment. “The way you say it…it sounds like a task for you.”

“I have not had a good  fight in decades.”

“What a strange sense of humour”, Calvin thought. 

 “...so you will help me?”

“You  may come along. That I will not stop you on.”

Calvin nodded.  “Okay. Can…can I bury my sister before we leave?”

“Yes. I have my own business I need to attend to before leaving. I will be waiting  where the road goes south.”

“Which way is south?”

The man simply threw a compass out from underneath his cape, which was too dark for Calvin to see in. He had a feeling that if he asked the man’s name, he would either give a fake one, or not a name at all.

Yet Calvin asked.

“Aguilf.” He said without a bat that Calvin genuinely wondered if he was lying or not.

“Weird name.”

“Lupen name.”

“That’s…I would not go around saying that, down here. Ever since their betrayal, people have been hanged for even saying they have anything to do with them.”

“No one  has tried that yet.”

“Bet it’s because you’re too tall.” While Calvin was an average 5”, Aguilf was easily over 9”. Calvin reckoned half a foot over.

Not saying anything, Aguilf simply waited  for Calvin to begin burying away from the streets. 

This  worked  fine for  Calvin, as he didn’t want his sister's body anywhere near the village. No, he would drag her out to a meadow a few minutes away,  where a hole was already dug out. 

If the mercenary attack hadn’t gone forward, it would  have been  his Mother’s grave. Being deathly sick, her death was unexpected,  yet Calvin and his sister grieved  all the same. 

“Both of them can reach Anirrae  if  they’re in the same grave, right?” Calvin  asked himself, a habit he’d never managed to break. “...wonder if Aguilf knows.”

He made his way back, seeing a brief glow, blocked  by Aguilf. Calvin decided not to question it. “Hey, do you know if it’s fine for two bodies to be buried in the same grave?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks.” 

Calvin dragged his Mother to the same grave, and began burying the two. This took a few minutes, but Calvin took the time to decorate it. Less for them, and more for himself of course, but he’d hate to leave them thinking he didn’t care. Besides, both of them loved flowers ,specifically the blue and green ones  that the two had told Cavin the name off millions of times, but names he’d never bothered to remember. 

“...all those  nights  we’d dream of running away to a better life. Not sure if I’m doing that, or I’m throwing my life  away but…I promise I’ll avenge you. I’ll pray both of you will find each other in Anirrae.” Calvin got on his knees, and  for the next  hour, he stayed there, wishing he didn’t have to leave, wishing none of this  had happened.

Wishing, wishing, wishing, where there was only one goal in sight.

Calvin, finally gathering the strength to leave them, made his way to the exit of the village. The next village wasn’t for a few days, and the nearby town was in the opposite direction. No help, and no distractions. 

“Where have they gone then?”

CH.2

The first marauder they -Aguilf- killed  wasn’t part of the actual attack. He was part of the raiding party, yet  in Calvin’s eyes, he was guilty all the same. 

“1 of 20…” a part of Calvin had wished he was the one who killed the man who cowardly begged for his life, but at the end of the day, this exact murderer wasn't the one responsible for his sister's death. “why was he alone out here?”

“Weak. He was dying faster than the rest, and so they left him behind.”

“Faster? Are they all diseased or something?”

“You could say that.” 

In the one day of travelling the two had done, Calvin had quickly learnt Aguilf said nothing at all, or what he did say was cryptic. Quickly Calvin had given  up on getting an actual answer.

“The next village is up ahead.” Calvin said. “If this one was left behind and got this far, I reckon that village is destroyed now.” He  said with a hint of regret. “I hope Cat’s okay…”

Calvin looked up at the still hooded man. Still not once had Calvin seen his  face, or what was even underneath his cape. “You know anyone out here, Aguilf?”

“No.”

“Oh come on, that’s surely a lie. You know someone from my village, didn’t ya?”

“No.”

“Well how come you want to kill these bastards? Even I’m not naive to think you’re doing this out of the goodness  of your soul.”

“Correct.”

“So?”

Silence. 

“You’re not used to travelling with people, are you?”

“Most do not wish to travel with me.”

“How come?”

“Fear.”

“Fear? You  may be tall, but that’s about it. What’s scary about you?”

Aguilf stopped for a moment. Calvin thought he was about to get an answer, and partly he did, just not in the way he’d expected it. “You are right. The village is burning as we speak.”

“Huh?” Calvin wondered how he could have possibly known that. “We need to get there now.”

“Continue on.” 

“Well what about-” And just like that Aguilf was gone. Vanished, disappeared.

“...oh, so you can go invisible, how scary.” The words had finished leaving Calvin’s lips just as he watched a noticeable breeze past the trees far down the road. 

“Bloody Anirrae! That can’t have been him.” He broke into a quick pace which soon turned into a quick sprint as he heard the sounds of screaming, much like the ones that came from his own village.

When Calvin had reached the top of the hill, overlooking the village, he was slightly glad to see some of the villagers still alive. It was a short lived moment however, as Calvin rushed down to see if any of the mercenaries were still there.

“Calvin? What are you doing here?” Yet no mercenaries were there to greet him. Just the village elder’s wife, hunched over her dead husband.

“Where are they?” Calvin ignored her question whilst getting her up  from the ground. Old and weak, she could barely manage that. It was pure luck she had managed to evade the mercenaries.

“Under the tavern. Cat managed to get mostly everyone away during the attack on the Circle building.” Calvin quickly concluded all the leadership  was  dead, and that it was unlikely the village would ever recover. 

“Not them. The mercenaries.”

She was thrown off guard, but quickly recovered when she saw the look in his eyes. “You have revenge in your soul. Do not leave it unchecked, child.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He thought, waving her warning off. “Right now the best way to defend this place is to get the mercenaries' attention. I came here with a man who can deal with them. Point me in their direction, and I’ll district them long  enough he’ll come and kill them.”

“Is that your sister’s plan?” 

A jolt of pain shot through Calvin’s heart. His sister was always known as a great planner, with himself and Cat being great executions. Call it luck or skill, they never found  a challenge they couldn’t overcome.

“...yes. Cat will defend the villagers in case the mercenaries do find them. Can you walk?” He watched her wobbling legs nearly top over. Calvin knew he couldn’t very well carry her to the tavern;  they’d be found before they reached, or even worse they led  the mercenaries to them. Because of this,  he decided to hide her in a nearby house, where the mercenaries had already checked. “Stay here. I’ll come get you when this is all over.”

“Here. Take this.” She handed him a key. It was clear and without rust, something Calvin had never  seen before. “The mercenaries haven't found it, but this unlocks what they were looking  for.”

“What’s in there?”

“I am unsure. Cat will know where to look to get it though. Take what is within, and get the remaining survivors to Pulcha.”

“Pulcha?” Calvin nearly shouted, but managed to muffle to a whisper. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’ll be easy to start a new life there. It’s the future of Kavar, after all.”

“...okay.” He took the key and stored it within his pouch. “Stay here. Don’t come out until  you hear me.”

Calvin sneaked out of the house, not wanting to bring any attention to it. Once he  was away from it, he ran to the bell tower in the centre, where some rope was attached to ring it at the bottom. Ringing it furiously for a few seconds, he ran to one of the nearby houses to keep an eye out.

After a handful of seconds, a couple of mercenaries came out. 

“Where’s the rest of us?” A heavily beaded man demanded to know, seeing the empty centre. Calvin immediately recognized him; he was the one  who ordered the execution of all the men,  which would have included Calvin himself if he was caught. 

The boy grabbed a nearby crossbow he knew belonged to his Uncle and aimed at the beaded man. 

“2 of 20.” Calvin muttered, watching  the man drop to the ground. He immediately reloaded as the other six men got into the action. Luckily none of them had seen where  the bolt had come from, but Calvin knew that would change very quickly.

“3.” Calvin repositioned, exiting through the back, and climbing onto the roof of another. 

“4.” He kept count in his head, making direct contact with one of the men.

“Up on the roof! He’s got a crossbow.”

“Fuck.” The jump wasn’t too high to hurt Calvin, as he ran into the forest. The trees were spaced out enough for Calvin to run, but as all the men had spears and greatswords, and were quite muscular, they would have a hard time getting through.

Calvin managed to run around to the other side without issue, finding another group of mercenaries who, by bad timing, saw him before he did them.

The sword would’ve gone right through Calvin’s heart, if he didn’t use his arm as a shield. Calvin didn’t know at the time, but adrenaline was the reason he felt no pain, as the sword slashed all down his arm.

“5” He unstrapped his dagger on his hip and jabbed it through the man’s neck. He died a few seconds after hitting the ground.

“Surround him!” This group wasn’t captained by anyone Calvin recognised, but they were guilty all the same. With five people in front of him,  and the four others closing in on him, Calvin’s only opening was to climb the tree, hoping no one had any ranged weapons. 

That was when someone with a bow came, aiming at Calvin. That would have been the end of him, if not for Aguilf, who started his attack on the archer. Clean his head came off, catching everyone else off guard.

What followed was a series of panicked attacks, all which had landed on Aguilf, but none had caused any damage. Infact, the only damage dealt was on the swords themselves, which smashed after a few attacks.

“...” Aguilf simply watched, seeing Calvin with a bloodied arm in the corner of his view. He was more shocked than anything, watching their attacks do nothing.

What happened next, from Calvin’s  perspective, seemed impossible. It was impossible. One snap, and all the men fell down dead. Calvin even turned around to see those who had followed him dead.

It wasn’t until Aguilf had finished bandaging Calvin up when he’d fully realised what had happened.

“How in Omnis did you do that?”

No response was given, even as he finished up Calvin’s bandage. 

“...I killed 5. You just killed…8?”

“9. 14 in total, dead.”

“That leaves 6 remaining…where are they?”

He looked towards  the nearby mountain. Walking distance was about 3 days, but Aguilf and Calvin were going to be travelling more lightly than their opponents, so they would catch up.

“We must leave now if we wish to catch up.”

“Will waiting until tonight hurt? I need to  see someone.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Cat.”

“Y-yeah. How’d you know?”

“You mentioned. And I heard.”

“Right…is she  safe?”

“She is fine.”

“Good… good.” Calvin gave a relaxed huff. “Okay, I’m going to check on her and the survivors. Do you know any good routes they can take to get to Pulcha?”

“I have not been down there, but I would recommend making  your way to Tenignum.” A fairly young but established town founded by a Pulcha themself. “The hard bit would be getting there.”

“That’s a port town right? How  much would it cost for a journey to Pulcha?”

“For one, a bit. For many…you would need a small  fortune. A small fortune you have been given.”

“By the village elder’s wife?”

“Yes. What the mercenaries were looking for was a box of crystals.”

“Crystals!? Actual ones?”

“Yes. Enough to fill two of your pouches.” That was easily in the twenties, maybe even thirties. 

“How many to take everyone to Pulcha?”

“...5.”

“Five!? Twenty would be enough  to start a life for everyone.”

“Yes, but it would not be as easy as that.”

“How so?”

“Finding someone who can afford their worth will be hard.”

“Surely not in Pulcha.”

“You still need to get to Pulcha.”

“Well there’s someone from their family in Tenignum, right?”

“Two. They may be interested.”

“Here’s hoping. But I’ll leave that to Cat.”

“You are not going?”

“‘Course not. Six left, after all. I’ll hold onto a crystal and I’ll catch up.”

“If that is your desire.” He said, taking his leave. “Meet me directly north of the bell.”

CH.3

13 souls was  the amount that had survived, once  Calvin got the village elder’s wife to the tavern. Only 10 had died, 5 of which were the leaders of the village, but two  were the parents of Cat.

“Dad nearly got one.” Cat whispered. The two had tucked themselves away in the storage part of  the cellar, where no one could hear them. It was always their go to spot. “Is it bad to say that I’m glad Mum died immediately?”

“No.” Calvin said in a hushed voice. “Only suffering would  have occurred if they left her alive.”

“Hm…did your village get attacked?”

“Yes. Everyone’s dead.”

“Everyone?” 

“Everyone.” No tears were shed for their parents, but that wasn’t because they didn’t love  them. It was simply because they barely saw them; 2, 3, hours per day, if they were lucky. But Cat, Calvin, and his sister, had always been around each other, since their earliest days, every day.

To say her death caused a great deal of pain, even more  so than Calvin’s injury which was now throbbing with pain, was very understandable.

“I’m sorry.” Cat grieved softly right into his ear. The two were embraced tight in a hug. “She meant a lot to me too.”

“I know…which is why I think you’ll understand.”  He left her warm embrace,  slightly moving away to unstrap his pouch, taking only the compass out. He showed the rest of the contents to Cat.

Living up to her name, her pupils tightened into a piercing stare. “Crystals? How did you get them?”

“It was what the mercenaries were after. I have no idea what the Circle was going to do with them, but all this is enough to get you and everyone to Tenignum.”

“Why there?”

“To sell them. Their worth is too much for anyone around here, and until you get to Pulcha-”

“Pulcha! We’re  heading to Pulcha!”

“That’s the end destination, yes. But listen Cat, we can’t get there until you sell these, and there’s only one family out here that can afford all these.”

Cat’s face blushed, caused by nerves and excitement. “You’re asking me to sell these to a Pulcha?”

He nodded, unable to stop a grin. “All these years, and it took something like this for us to actually see our dream come to reality.”

“...yes. I’m sure everyone in Anirrae are looking down and glad things will turn out alright.”

“I know Sis would be glad for you to see it that way.”

For a slight moment, very slight moment, all the troubles of  the world went away for the two, as the two shared an awkward but loving look. 

“So when do we leave?” 

That moment was quickly crushed. The question had forced the reality of the situation all back into Calvin’s head. His dead family, her dead family,  and the mercenaries that were still alive. 

“Get everyone together and explain the situation. All of you will leave immediately. I’ll catch up.”

“Where are you going?” She asked, more worried than curious. “With an injury like that, we should keep close together.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m travelling with someone who can easily take care of us. We’re…” for a brief moment Calvin decided to lie to Cat and tell her that they were going to warn the villages located beyond of the valley. The truth came out instead. “...going after the remaining mercenaries. There’s only six left and with them dead, we’ll have avenged everyone. Your parents, my Mum and Sister, and everyone else.”

No one would have  been surprised to see a shocked Cat, but quite a few would have been to see how fast she recovered. 

“Revenge? Revenge is on your mind?” Cat  was never quick to anger, so even Calvin was shocked to see her tone change so rapidly. “We have the chance to get out, and you decide to put your life in danger once again?”

“Our life has always  been in danger, Cat. But it’s not like I’m not coming to Pulcha. You’ll see me there, I promise.”

“How can you promise that? You nearly died!”

“I made a mistake. It won’t-”

“You can’t guarantee that!” She shouted. “You’re not  some seasoned fighter!”

“I killed 5 of them, Cat. What do you say about  that?”

“You’re counting?!” Cat was sickened. “That’s exactly what those bloodthirsty monsters would do, and you know it.”

“Ugh, you’re overreacting. It was those bastards who started all this. You think I’m like that?”

“I didn’t say that. It’s just not normal to keep track of who you kill.”

“What in the void do you expect me to do? Do you know how many people they’ve killed here? Back home?”

“Too many.”

“38.”

“...”

Realising he’d also raised his voice, Calvin calmed back down. “...we should have never gone back. Mum was dead already, and taking Sis back only meant her death. A stray arrow…it was targeted for me, hit her. In 4 seconds she was dead. She couldn’t even say anything. Her throat-”

“Calvin.”

“...do you know why I have to do this? I promised her…but also because everytime I close my eyes, I see her, and that murder’s face. I kill the man, I kill the image.”

“That’s not how it works. Killing him will bring you no solace.”

“How can’t it? It must be  better knowing he isn’t in the same realm anymore.”

“But she will still be dead.”

“I’m not looking to bring her back.” That was Calvin’s final answer. He got up, planning to leave. “Take them to Tenignum. I’m sure the Pulcha’s there will help get you to the city.”

“Not without you.”

“You have too.  There’s more mercenaries here in the valley, ones that would happily sell you and the other women. Get out of here now. We’ll reunite in Pulcha.”

“...you’re going to die.” She whispered. He heard, but left regardless. In his mind, the only way to change her mind was to prove it. And that meant going ahead and fulfilling his revenge.

CH.4

Aguilf was exactly where he said he’d be. The two set off wordlessly, keeping an eye out on any potential threat to the village.

“They have left now.” Aguilf said, reassuring Calvin. 

“Even Cat?”

“Yes.” He looked down, giving  Calvin a brief moment to see part of his face. It was sharp like bone, and white like chalk.  “You should have gone with her.”

“Ugh, not you too.” Out of everyone, Aguilf was the one person Calvin was sure understood him. This still turned out to be true, Calvin realised moments later.

“Good chance they will die before reaching Tenignum. It is a long path, and they are an easy target.”

“Cat’s smart. She’ll guide them to safety.”

“No such thing as safety. Not even in Pulcha.”

“Well, it’s gotta be a million times safer than here.”

They continued walking for a few minutes in silence. Calvin knew if  he said nothing, it would have continued for hours, even days. “Do you really think they’ll die?”

“Yes.”

“...can you keep an eye on them? I’ve seen how fast you can go. It’ll take three days for me to reach that mountain, but I’m guessing I’m slowing you down heavily here, aren’t I?”

“You suggest to find them, and once you do, I should come back?”

“Yeah. Is there some way I can get in contact with-”  

Aguilf responded by throwing a crystal of his own. 

“‘Vox Tantum’. It is the activation word to use it.”

“You have something like this…did you take it from the stockpile?”

“No. Use it once you see the mercenaries. Until then, I will keep an eye out on them.”

“Thanks.” Calvin turned around to already see the man gone. “...how does he do that?”

Calvin continued walking for hours on end. His tired legs only rested when he was hungry, as he sat and munched on some food he got from the pantry and butchers. He slept only when complete darkness had set on the land. 

Three thoughts went through Calvin’s head during this time:

“They better still be going back to that mountain.”  Sleep came rarely and when it did, it came harshly. Thoughts of his sister and the mercenary who killed her, came to him in his dreams.

“I hope Cat is alright.” More and more Calvin gained guilt on having their last experience be full of arguing and hurt. He promised to himself he’d make it up  to her when he finally arrived in Pulcha.

And the final thought that came, shockingly late into his journey: “Why is Aguilf helping me?”

The unhuman warrior had made it clear he didn’t need Calvin’s assistance to take down the mercenaries, and Calvin was nowhere near as egomaniacal as you would be to not know it himself. 

But not only that, he was actually helping Cat out. It was that deeply confused Calvin. “He’s hiding something from me surely. Either he gets something out of this or…*sigh* maybe he is just a good person.” 

Being a good person to people you knew made sense, atleast to Calvin, but to random strangers for, who he could know,  could be awful people? From that perspective, Calvin actually understood why Aguilf  was helping Cat out, but himself? 

Why would a good person help someone get revenge, even if it were justified?

Was it justified?

No, but none of this is. Calvin eventually concluded, seeing lights in the near distance. On the third day, as Aguilf accurately foresaw, did Calvin catch up with the mercenaries, not far from the mountain.

“Vox Tantum. Aguilf , I’ve found them. Come now if Cat and the others aren’t safe…I’ll wait an hour before attacking.” That was Calvin’s plan anyway. The mercenaries had decided to camp down for the night, as they weren’t close enough to actually reach their base before the land was shrouded in darkness.

Calvin sat from afar, keeping an eye on them. Six were left, and only two were on guard duty. Calvin recognized them as the men who plundered the village for all it had. One was skinny, and the other had muscles that were just as big as Calvin’s head. 

He was unsure how they planned to keep watch when night fell.

CH.5

An hour passed, which only made Calvin feel uneasy. “You better be fine, Cat…” 

He waited another hour, which is when the mercenaries changed shifts. Still no sign of Aguilf, nor the murderer.

The campfire in their camp was still burning furiously, allowing Calvin to see within. With each pair of mercenaries sharing tents, Calvin now knew which one his target was in, and so made that his primary target.

There was only one issue, preventing Calvin from just going in and stabbing him first; the tents and fire were positioned in such a way that Calvin’s shadow would give him away. 

Those keeping watch needed to be taken out first.

“One on their own I can handle, but two? Everyone will find out I’m here by the time my arrow reaches the second.” He muttered to himself, unaware he was actually doing it. For a brief moment, he considered taking the risk. He’d taken out multiple men in a row back at the village so why would here, right next to steep slopes and the forest, be any harder? 

“But if they vanished into the dark…” It’d be a game of cat and mouse, and that’d be the worst outcome for Calvin, who was inexperienced in tracking. 

“I need a distraction.” One that would get the two mercenaries attention, without alerting the rest. “Or get them to split up.”

He had an idea. Back in the forest Calvin went to gather sticks and stones, dry grass and anything in between he could burn. Then, close enough to get their attention, did he start a fire. This took a few minutes before the wood began to burn, fire emerging. The light could be seen in the darkness for miles, but it’d only be in close range where anyone who came would realise the camp was empty.

Calvin rushed back to his original perching spot, and watched as the two men talked amongst themselves. Calvin knew they weren’t going to be as stupid to send only one person out, and especially not be as stupid to let no one know they were leaving, and so it came to no surprise when the men awakened the next set of mercenaries. 

Out they came, and Calvin recognised the two immediately. One killed the majority of his friends and fellow villages, while the other was the monster who took his Sister’s life. 

Calvin watched as they discussed how to proceed. They concluded quickly, as they sent out the monster and another mercenary out to investigate. He followed them from the treeline, quickly losing them in the darkness, but knowing where they would end up. 

Perching himself on a tree, Calvin waited, and waited, and waited.

With swords drawn, the mercenaries came to investigate. 

With swords sheathed, and their faces full of disappointment, did they turn to leave.

That was when they heard a twang of a crossbow, and one of them heard a body fall beside them.

Calvin’s movements were fast and with full intent of revenge, he reloaded the crossbow, just in time for the monster to turn around, mouth open. 

“Attack!” He yelled, before the bolt went through his neck, just as it had with Calvin’s sister. He went forward, and the bolt lodged itself deeper, killing the monster immediately. Relief and pride went through Calvin’s heart, but he didn’t let it district him; he still had to finish them all.

Calvin reloaded and waited. He knew someone would investigate soon.

Minutes passed, with Calvin hearing nothing. Not even a call, or a bird tweet. Calvin knew something was wrong just as his adrenaline had calmed down, and his nerves soothed.

“...” There was total silence. The fire, which was aimed to give a show, rather than last, turned into embers.

And then a crack. “They are dead. All of them.”

Calvin sighed a breath of relief. “It’s over then.”

“For them, yes.”

Calvin got down from the tree. If Aguilf  said nothing, he wouldn’t have known he was even there, let alone in what direction. Yet Calvin managed to pick out his dark figure, just about.

“Are they safe?”

“On their way to Pulcha, tomorrow.”

“Best piece of news I’ve heard…all my life, I think.”

Aguilf leapt down from the hill, down to Calvin’s decoy camp. 

“Getting proof they’re dead?” 

“Yes.” Calvin was mildly surprised he gave an actual answer. He quickly realised this was a cryptic answer, just one that came with an otherworldly sight.

A bright light emerged from one of the dead bodies, blinding Calvin. “What in Anirrae is that?”

“A soul.”

“A what?” The sight he caught a glimpse off back at his village popped through his head. “So that’s what you do? Collect souls? Why would you want these monsters?”

“Because they would turn into demons if I did not. Their souls are corrupted.”

“That’s how demons are made?” Never having seen one, Calvin was superstitious of them, but he’d heard, seen, more surprising things in the last few days. “What would happen if they did turn into a demon?”

“Do whatever it took to get to Anirrae. It is a painful existence, one that is only elevated by reaching the afterlife, or by gaining enough power to suppress it. Most demons do not get the chance to reach Anirrae, and are killed. This…has a bad effect on Omnis.”

“...if I’d known you talk this much about demons, I would have brought it up sooner.” Calvin joked. “I didn’t know any of that though. You must be good at your job to know that.”

“It is not a job. But yes.”

Calvin watched the other soul being lifted from their body. It was bright, yet it was mostly black. And then it dimmered, and disappeared. “...what now then? What are you going to do?”

“Continue to look for lost souls. Are you heading to Tenignum?”

“Yeah…I hope Cat will take me back.”

“She will. She will be happy to see you.”

“...well, I’ll set out when morning comes. Thanks for everything, Aguilf.”

“My crystal.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. He’s your compass too.”

“Keep it.” He simply took the crystal back, putting it underneath his cape. “I can take you to Tenignum now, if you wish.”

“...can I ask you something? It’s been on my mind since yesterday. Why are you doing all this for me? For Cat?”

Silence blew through the air. A few seconds, turned into tens, turned into minutes. 

Just as Calvin was about to say ‘Forget about it’, Aguilf answered.

“This has all happened before. Hundreds, thousands of times. I wanted to see a different outcome.”

After another moment of silence, Calvin huffed in amusement. “You sound like a bored god.”

The Demon Hunter pulled out another crystal, handing it to Calvin. 

“It will get you to Tenignum.”

“Okay…I’m guessing this is goodbye, unless you plan to visit Pulcha anytime.”

“I imagine one day I will.”

“Come find me if you do. You’ll always be welcome in my home.”

Aguilf simply nodded, and uttered some meaningless words Calvin didn’t know the meaning of. Then, a flurry of colours blasted Calvin’s eyes, before they met a grand ocean. In view, the city of Tenignum.

End